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Wet Plate Photography
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Anyone else interested in Wet Plate Photography. Here is a link to a video clip of a test shoot I did last week in Limerick http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fw8l6HqMHO0&feature=player_embedded” onclick=”window.open(this.href);return false;
sorry, hopefully this will work http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fw8l6HqMHO0&feature=player_embedded” onclick=”window.open(this.href);return false;
Thats excellent !
Can you explain what the process is, chemicals required etc in order to do this :)
I was about to ask the same question have seen many images mainly portraits like yours but no idea how they are created. Thanks for sharing loved the images.
It’s wet plate photography as done back in the mid 1800’s. It was the second wave of photography after the daguerrotype and soon replaced with dry plates which was alot easier and acessible. Everything has to be done ( pouring,exposing, developing, fixing and washing ) before the plate dries, about 12 mins ish. It’s handy enough to do in a studio if you have a darkroom near by but when I’m out and about I use a horticultural tent as a darkroom ( I’ll put up another clip of the next shoot I did and include shots of the portable darkroom ). Collodion was used in the American Civil war for closing wounds, it’s basically like a liquid plaster and it forms the film for the process. It is mixed with an iodiser ( alcohol, ether, an iodide or a bromide or a mix of both ). You pour that on to the glass, then take it to the darkroom and sensitise it with silver nitrate, which gave me tha balck fingers, Then it’s loaded in to the plate holder, the photo is taken and the developed back in the darkroom using ferrous sulphate solution ( iron ). The dev is washed off in the darkroom and it then can be fixed outside as in the clip, I like to fix it infront of the people I photograph, it happens fast and is the most exciting part of the process. It can be fixed with a plain hypo solution or potassium cyanide solution if you are brave. Just washed, dried and varnished ( with sandarac varnish )after that. On clear glass you will get a neg that was contact printed back in the day or if you put something black behind the glass you get a positive image as shown in the clip.
The images are unlike any other process. They need to be seen to be appreciated. For me I enjoy the whole process of not just taking but the making of an image, a crowd gathers everywhere we do it and ther is a wow factor to the images. It took me about a year of testing and experimenting with chemical mixes and technique to get where I am now but the good news is that it is not as hard as it sounds.
SORRY ABOUT THE LONG WINDED ANSWER BUT THERE IS NO SHORT ANSWER EVEN WITH THE SPECIFICS LEFT OUTIts an interesting process I read somewhere that cool colours will comeout almost white which is why landscapes done with the process have white skies but yellow for example will come out very dark so that all those ladies that where in what looks like black dresses in the photos might have actually been bright colours.
I can well imagine you get a wow factor out of your audience
Bill Schwab http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=740522741″ onclick=”window.open(this.href);return false; has some great portraits done like this also sally mann uses this process too i think.
Great stuff! Thanks for making that video and uploading it. Really cool to see something like that in action.
Sally Mann does use this process as well. There’s a pretty well-known documentary knocking about that shows her demonstrating it. I’m pretty sure she’s never done it in the streets of Limerick though.
I have a question …. what additional equipment do you need with respect to the actual camera? I know you need an LF camera but is there a special back necessary for the plates? I presume there is ….
Marty (hope that’s your name :) ),
Is it easy to find the raw chemicals required ?
hugh wrote:Great stuff! Thanks for making that video and uploading it. Really cool to see something like that in action.Sally Mann does use this process as well. There’s a pretty well-known documentary knocking about that shows her demonstrating it. I’m pretty sure she’s never done it in the streets of Limerick though.
I have a question …. what additional equipment do you need with respect to the actual camera? I know you need an LF camera but is there a special back necessary for the plates? I presume there is ….
I use a Rochester Universal which I got on ebay for 300 dollars and restored it. It was made in 1890 so not for wet plates but dry plates. It is such a simple piece of equipment it wasn’t too hard to modify the holders. These cameras pop up on ebay every now and then. You can also get replicas but I like the fact that my one was in use 120 years ago and still work perfectly ( I don’t think my NIKON D700 will work in 120 years time ) If you shoot ferrotypes ( metal plates ) you could probably easily modify a double sided film holder by removing the centre piece and then you could use any modern LF camera. For ambrotypes ( glass plates ) you would need one similar to mine. Again you should look for an original ( you can get a gem if you look hard enough ) as the replicas are very expensive
Mark wrote:
Marty (hope that’s your name :) ),
Is it easy to find the raw chemicals required ?
Martin is my name. Almost all can be got in Lennox’s in DUBLIN, one or two I have to get in UK and not by post. I must add that there are a couple of chemicals in the process that are very dangerous if not treated with respect. Especially Cadmium bromide, ether, silver nitrate and the potassium cyanide.
That’s great, great to see that going on here-
Not sure the soundtrack adds though…
Any chance of letting us know which chemicals you can get here? and the ones you have to import?
How much it would cost for a basic chemical setup, to coat and expose a few plates?Were there a couple of plate sizes used, I think I spotted whole plate?
Also, it looks like you were using a modified film holder?
Do you use a portable sensitizing setup?Was great to see this going on on the street in Ireland, I suppose it must be slightly easier with four sharing the workload?
Would love to give this a try myself, though I’m pretty sure I’d blow something up …
jb7 wrote:
That’s great, great to see that going on here-
Not sure the soundtrack adds though…
Any chance of letting us know which chemicals you can get here? and the ones you have to import?
How much it would cost for a basic chemical setup, to coat and expose a few plates?Were there a couple of plate sizes used, I think I spotted whole plate?
Also, it looks like you were using a modified film holder?
Do you use a portable sensitizing setup?Was great to see this going on on the street in Ireland, I suppose it must be slightly easier with four sharing the workload?
Would love to give this a try myself, though I’m pretty sure I’d blow something up …
Lennox’s didn’t have potassium cyanide, cadmium bromide the last time i called, other chemicals include alcohol, ether, collodion, gum sandarac, ferrous sulphate, sodium thiosulphate, potassium nitrate, silver nitrate, calcium carbonate. Treat this stuff with care, some of it is dangerous
Plate holder is original, you didn’t spot a whole plate, they are 5×7 glass plates but I do shoot whole plates too
Everything has to be done within a few minutes, so yes the sensitising set up is portable in this case
You do need at least 2 when you are out on the streets or someone could run away with camera while you are in the dark developing. In a studio one person is fine to do it. I often invite photographers or interested people to come with me on a shoot. I let them take part in the process, it helps them learn and they enjoy taking part, it is not about spreading the workload.
martyjnr wrote:
I’ll put up another clip of the next shoot I did and include shots of the portable darkroom
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TS_85oPIPw” onclick=”window.open(this.href);return false;
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